Season two of Overtime Select — the high school girls’ basketball tournament launched by Gen Z sports brand Overtime (OT) last year — tips off on Saturday, so we spoke with OT about its growth numbers and the ROI for brands that want to capitalize on the next generation of women’s basketball stars.

The Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark has shattered records once again — or at least her likeness has. Last Thursday, a signed one-of-one Panini trading card depicting Clark sold for $660K, beating the previous $366K record set by another of Clark’s Panini cards in March. Let’s explore how Clark has recalibrated the memorabilia market with her unparalleled WNBA stardom.

Yesterday, sponsorship insights platform SponsorUnited released its inaugural WNBA Partnerships Report, covering 12 WNBA teams over 2024 season and the 2025 season so far. The report — which Lynch says has been three years in the making — notes a 17% surge in deals during the 2025 WNBA season alone.

Earlier this month, Sports Business Journal shared data from sponsorship analytics platform Blinkfire on social media engagement among professional North American sports teams. Eight of the top 10 are WNBA teams, led by the Dallas Wings, Indiana Fever, and Golden State Valkyries.

The WNBA’s All-Star Weekend (ASW) drove a variety of online conversation, from ongoing CBA negotiations to the proliferation of StudBudz, the player-powered shared social media profile that offered an entertaining inside look into ASW.

Yesterday, Portland’s WNBA expansion team finally launched its long-awaited brand reveal, showcasing its name and logo as the Portland Fire. While there are some local criticisms about the name, Portland made this decision with significant intentionality, which may have influenced the overall positive response to the name.

This year will mark the fourth edition of WNBA Live at WNBA All-Star Weekend, where 25 event sponsors will offer IRL activations for fans. The efficacy of experiential advertising pairs well with the impressive purchase consideration from women’s sports fans, who boast higher awareness and devotion to sponsors in women’s sports.

The WNBA tipped off Monday with major news: The league is awarding three new expansion franchises to Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia. Each of the winning bids agreed to pay a record $250M expansion fee — higher than the valuations of half the W — with additional investments committed to team and facility development.

Yesterday, Sportico published its estimated WNBA valuations, illustrating YoY valuation gains for teams across the board. One significant surprise? The financial power of the Golden State Valkyries, which tipped off its inaugural season last month and already leads the league in valuation, just ahead of the NY Liberty and Indiana Fever.

On Friday, Scripps-owned network Ion Television renewed its media rights agreement with the WNBA nearly a year after the league inked a joint multinetwork package alongside the NBA. Despite the WNBA’s attainment of expensive, major network deals, there’s still considerable value in what Ion uniquely brings to the table: A distinct audience and capacity for appointment viewing.

You already know that women’s basketball is booming — according to a recent report from Global Sports Properties, the WNBA saw a 322% increase in global online searches last year. However, the sport’s impact extends beyond the pro court: The male-dominated spaces long associated with hoops are becoming more women-forward…and it’s about time.

According to Forbes, WNBA teams are valued at a league-high average of $272M, a monstrous 183% increase from the estimated average valuation in 2024. It’s all about supply and demand (and a little dash of optimism).